This invention relates to a method of determining the soy material content of a food product, particularly a food product prepared by blending soy flour, or the like soy protein-containing material, with some other type of food material, such as ground beef.
Soy protein-containing materials are being used in an increasing number of instances in the food industry for blending with other food materials for a variety of reasons. In some instances the use of a certain percentage of soy flour or other soy protein-containing material in conjunction with a more expensive basic food material, such as ground beef, permits the production of an acceptable but less expensive product than the usual product made without the admixture of the soy material. In other instances use of the soy material in conjunction with various food materials from animal sources results in a marked reduction in cholesterol-producing substances in the diet, which may be highly desirable in the cases of persons affected by cardiac problems or concerned about the possibilities of developing cardiac problems. There has, therefore, been a long-standing problem of determining the relative percentages of soy material and the other materials usually present in food products with which soy material is now being blended. This is particularly important for consumers and for governmental agencies who have the responsibility of inspecting food products and insuring that the public is fairly treated in the market place, that blends of soy material with other food products are being priced fairly relative to the concentrations of soy materials in the food blends.
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a method of determining the amount of soy material in a food product.
Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description of the invention.